Jun 22, 2021
“I had never seen a woman trucker. I was going to be an anomaly to myself.”
Yuma Haidara had a plan. After high school, she enlisted in the
Navy. After serving for seven years, she went on to nursing school,
in pursuit of becoming a pediatric nurse. But something caught her
eye on her daily commute: a trucking school. One day, Yuma decided to pull in and see what it was all
about. And the rest, as they say, is history. Yuma enrolled in the
three-week course to get her commercial driver's license (CDL), and
today, she is a truck driver for Walmart. Yuma, who is based out of
New Hampshire, spends 14 hours a day on the road, bringing general
merchandise (anything that's not groceries — so TVs, clothes,
sneakers, tools, tires, even Christmas trees) to and from
warehouses and stores. On this episode, she talks about why this is
the perfect job and why she loves being alone in the truck with her
music and audiobooks. She talks about being the only woman in her
class getting her CDL, offers tips for sharing the road with
truckers, and addresses stereotypes about truckers and truck stop
culture. She talks about staying safe on the road, shares her
scariest experience while driving, and talks about being an
essential worker during the pandemic. Plus, she shares her running
story, and explains how running fits into her long days on the
road. And when she's not driving or running, Yuma is an
entrepreneur: She's the creator of A Yummy Life body butter!
SPONSOR: Tracksmith — Use code ONTHEJOB
for free shipping, plus five percent of your purchase will be
donated to the Brave Like Gabe
Foundation.
What we mention on this episode?
Melissa Cummings on Episode 375 of the Ali on the Run Show
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